Pedal-operated exhaust mechanism for automatic musical instruments



e. P. BRAND. P EDAL UPERATED EXHAUST MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 29, I911;

Patented June 20; 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

G. P. BRAND. P'EDAL OPERATED EXHAUST MECHANlSM FOR AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 29, 19!]- Patented June 20, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

altering UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

GEORGE 1. BRAND, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PEDAL-OPERATED EXHAUST MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Application filed October 29, 1917.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l Clnonon l Bruno, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city or New York, borough or Bronx, in the county of Bronx and State oi? New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in =dal-Operated Exhaust Balerhanism fOl Automatic Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in player piano expres sion mechanism, and pertains more espe cially to the bottom action or exhaust mechanism actuated by the pedals or analogous means. i

The present invention has for its objects among others to provide very sensitive pedaling effects without causing any disagreeable resistance or chattering of the pedals caused by the displacement of the air being drawn from the action while in operation.

Heretotore many di'li erent forms ot device 1 have been employed for producing a."- centing results by movementot the pedals such as crash. valves and the like but the use oi crash valves necessitates quick or sudden depression of the pedals to cause said valves to close and out out the bellows in which they are placed thus rendering the accenting results uncertain and unreliable. in devices wherecrash valves are employed the sorings employed arenecessarily of such strength that to play on so it pres re the bellows must be distended to their 'liullest extent, thereby not having pressure l'ieyonil working pressure. Con -emiently soon as the movement of the pedals ceases for an instant-or so there no pressure to coutinue the working at the player or rendition ot the composition.

Another objectol? the invention is to at tain greater carrying capacity of the low pressure. To get real artistic result: and smooth rendition of compositions, it is neces sary to have entire control of the low pressure and it is necessary tohave the low pres sure of the machine so reliable as to not fall away, as it is called, from the feet and cause the performer uneasiness by reason of not being sure but what the player may stop at any point between the up and down.

strokes of the pedals. Most players have so much spring tension in the reservoirs that one has to keep much too high a pressure .Specifiealicn of Letters Patent.

Patented June 20, 1922.

Serial No. 199,140.

in the player to be sure that the machine is perfectly reliable to render the playing of all ol the notes. It the reservoirs'are made to work nicely on low pressure, then there is a disagreeable resistance when working; under high pressure.

These disadvantages are overcome by my present improvement in which I employ what I term a cushion bellows and a con cussion bellows to assist ,in making the pedals very sensitive and easily operated'and p0 sessing greater power with less energy on the part ot the performer and at the same time insuring very fine musical results and reliability in action. My present improvement also is an aid to the novice in learning to play as the pedaling is easy and more natural and sudden depression of thepedals is obviated.

By cushion bellows I mean the main reservoir v or reservoirs, cushioned so that with a sudden push on the pedal for the purpose of producing accentuations the be].- lows collapses withoutproducing the noise that otherwise would oeirurby the sudden collap e of the reservoir, the cushion being located adjacent the heel or hinge end oi the bellows, so that the said cushion serves to check the momentum upon the initial movement of the bellows, andthen forms a yielding resistance to the further collapse of. the bellows.

By concussion bellows I mean a bellows that cooperates with the r ushion bellows and is brou ht into action utter the cushion bellows has collapsed sutlieiently to bring about the cushioning ellfet, as above described, and having; a valve controlled deflation. port oi sull icient size to allow of quick deflation and a continuously open restricted inflation port to retard or compel slow inflation Thi 5 will be clearly understood by the description of the operation later on.

I. may sometimes employ what I term a compensating spring to compensate for the dilierent positions oi": the reservoir in causing the pressure to be practically the same at any position of the reservoir, giving. an even carrying capacity on low pressure.

Furthermore by my present improvement it is desirable at. all times to feel the pres sure under which the performer is playing, no matter whether it be the reaction of a high pressure or low pressure against the foot on the pedal, so that the performer feels confident in rendering the notes he desires. This. also is assured by my present improvement.

Other objects and advantage ot the ill-- vention, will hereina'tter appear and the noi'el features thereoit will he particnlarl pointed out in the appended claims.

The in rention is clearl illustrated in the accompanying drawing which. with the numerals o'l reference njiarked thereon, torn: a part of this srwcification. and in whi h Figure l is vertical transre 'se section on the line l-l oi Figure :2.

Figure :2 is a taco View with parts broken away.

Figure 3 i" PQCltt-l-OPCI'HlZGt nism.

Figure 4; is an end \"lOW ol Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows still another form ol pedal-operated or exhaust nnehanism.

Figure 6 is an end 'view thereof with the channel member in section.

Figure 7 is a section on the line 7*? of Figure 2.

Figure 8 is a sectional. detail :--howin .e the reservoir and associated parts in playiuo position.

Like numerals ol reference indicate like parts throughout the scve 'al views.

Referring to the irawinn's.

l designates a casing or enclosure within which the pedals are adapted to he 'loldcd when not in use. This case SOI'YUS also as a support for the exhaust mechanism soon to he dcscrihed. The Folding pedals. however, do not, term a part ol the. present in.- vcntion. being covered hv a separate application. 2 are the pedals pirota'llv connected. as at 3. with the arms at which. in turn. pivoted, as at 5. to the curved arms ti piveted as at 7. intermediate their lea within the casing and at their upper ends pivotally connected as at 8. with the arms 9 which are attached to the lug; 0 attached to the exhanster ll. firhcrchy pressure upon the pedals will cause the muvahlo ieat ol' the cxhauster to more outward. ur her than this it is not deemed necessary to descrihe the construction or nn'ide of operation ot the pedals.

The exhaust i'nechanisni is mounted upon the case 1 in any snitahle manner. as For instance by the plates secured to the sides ot the casing. as at l and to the under side of the reservoir. as at Ll. see Figure The exhaust; mechanism cruuprises the exhauster 11 before mentioned provided with a i'filHlY" able plate l5 having a plurality oi ports to covered by a pallet 'lT well-known in the art and a detailed description ol which not. deemed necessary. the pallet heine secured to the plate 15 in any "(ll-lGlOnl'l way. the reservoir or tension. hrd or-rs it? the stationa r v member 19 0t which has a plurality oi opcna detail of a modified liorm c-t il bellows or exhaust mechaings 20 thercthrongh covered by the pallet 21. secured in any welldmown manner. as common in the art, and the concus ion hellows The exhainetcrs l l. are secured to the reservoir 18 and the concussion hellows :22 are secured one to the outer end o'l each of the exhausters ll. as she vn lillrl. in Fig.1- nre 2.

The reservoir is connected through the port 23 in the stationary wall therccl and through the port. 24-. to the nipple or tin. lihe id or analogous means 26 with an well-hum action chest which operates the notes ol' t ployer. 27 hcinn a striker pneumati and 12 the tube il or concction with the tracherbar. not shown.

Each concussion hellows 2:3 is councct hy a small tuhe 53$) with the adjacent end o the r servoir 15%. as seen clearly in "inure :2. Each concussion hellows has a spring the usual type. tending to distend the helhe reservo r lF is lows against pressure. provided at each end with a smaller V spy-in Z51 lot a similar purpose. hut 'ot much lesstrength than the springs 34). tor a purpose soon to he ('lescrihed.

The stationary memher oi the concus-iou hellows 22 is provided with an opening; for connection of the tuhe 35). as seen clearly in i ie ure T. This stationarr memhrr is pro-- vidrd with a port 233 covered h a flap valve 34: which may he held to its seat in a light tension spring 35, as seen in l igure T.

In the interior of the reservoir l providc a cushion 36 ot some sol't material. such as 'lelt or the like. which serves as a yicldalde stop or cushion for the movahle member of th reservoir 18 when aeeentine takes place or iiayinsr under heavy pressure.

in Fi ure 1) T have shown a sli n'l'itl v inod itied term of arrminement oi the cahauster mezhanisin. In this tigrure ll" are the es;- hau :ers. [8 the .rxoir and l" .hcconrussion. hellows. are the connections hetwcen the concussion hollows and the 1( '(,'l.'- roir.

37 is a compensating spring l or increasing the resistance on the reservoir as it in in tlatcd and decrcasiing the pressure as the reservoir is deflated and compensates for the atn'iospheric pressure on the cloth during); the nnwement thereof. (hie end of this spring is 'tached at 3 to an arm or the like 239 socured to the stationary niemher ol' the resetroi and its other end attached. prel'erahl :nljnstahlv, as a 110. to the movahle nicmher of the reervoir. as seen. in Figure. 4.

In. Figures 5 and 6 l have shown still another iliorm ol arrangement of the parts constituting the exhaust meclninismf in this torm the exhansters U." are snown as C1Il.'

nor the concussion hellows 9.2". but in thi i there is av reservoir i s" at each end. t? is a duct or channel, atlording connnuniiio cation between the two reservoirs 18", the said channel being also in communication with the exhausters in substantially the same way as the connections between the res ervoir and exliauster in Figure 1.

l Vith the parts constructerfl and arranged substantially hereinbefore dcscril ied, the operation, briefly set Tl'Ol'tll, as iollows:-

The performer upon placing hisi'eet upon the pedals and pressing downward thereupon, starts the machine playing. If it is desired to play very soft, the performer pumps a little slower on his pedals to pro- 1 duce the desired amount of energy desired to play the composition he is rendering, thereby allowing the reservoir to get its resistance from the springs 31 set at the proper tension to produce the required pressure to produce the best results. Now it the performer desires to accent any particular note or notes, he exerts more pressure upon the pedals and getsa greater resistance, causing the reservoir to collapse against the cushion 36. At the same time his concussion bellows will collapse in accordance with the amount of pressure he puts on the pedals. Now it he desires to produce a crash or a very heavy accent, he exerts greater pressure upon thepedals and causes the reservoir to depress the cushion a little more and the concussion bellows at the same time will be drawn in to its closed position. It is desirable after a crash or a heavy accent for the pressure to return to medium soft pressure without remaining at high pressure too long. This is accomplished by employing a cushion which will depress just a short distance, not requiring too much in-- pressure and also by flation to relieve that ricting the 1? {5c br on {no caucussion bellows and the reservoir, so that upon release of the pressureon the pedals the concussion bellowsglides back slowly by the air being drawn through the reservoirt'hrough the restricted or small tube 29. This takes place continuously by the depression of either pedal with either foot and the concussion bellows is continually "feeding or drawing air from the reservoir "from the dii'lercut accents of the feet on the pedals which causes the concussion bellows to be drawn in more or less, according to the pressure on the pedals, giving the exhaust mechanism a greater carrying capacity and allowing of greater contrast of expression through the use of the pedals.

The springs 30 of the concussion bellows are made very much heavier than are the springs 31. of the reservoir, so that they offer greater resistance to the pedals so as not to operate only when accenting is desired and then operating in accordance with the force or the accent produced. Under very light pressure the springs 30 are not affected. The concussion bellows are employed for the purpose of giving elastic feelingto the pedals and allowing the reservoir tobe cushioned and adjusted to the most sensitive touch, at the same time supplying light pressure energy to the reservoir after the concussion bellows have been drawn toward their deflated position. The concussion bellows serve to store up energy without ati'ecting the musical results of the reservoir during playing under ordinary conditions.

As is well known, the reservoir is the common receptacle for the air from all parts of the player as this reservoir is always under more or less exhaust tension through its springs and cushion. This tension is created by the movement of the pedals and, consequently, the exhausters. This being the case, afterthe note or notes are accented, the displacement of the air from the different parts of the player being drawn into the reservoir relieves the reservoir of the tension just produced by the depression oi the pedals.

It being understood that when enough pressure is exerted upon the pedals to bring the movable leaf down against the cushion, tension will be produced in the reservoir in accordance with whatever pressure is being exerted onthe pedals. After this condition has arisen in the reservoir, it is desirable to relieve this tension as quickly as possible and I depend on the displacement of the air from the parts of the player to relieve this condition in the reservoir. Therefore, I re strict the connection between the concussion bellows and the reservoir to such a degree as to not have the concussion bellows interfere with this desired result and still, at the same time, assist the reservoirin supplying the carrying capacity of the lower tensions or pressures. So, it is plainly seen that I accomplish two results by the use of the concussion bellows; one, to give the elastic feeling upon the pedals when accenting or keeping the movable leaf of the reservoir against the cushion by the pedals, and, secondgon the release of the pedals the concussion bellows are continually assisting the reservoir in its low pressure capacity and allowsthe performer to press his feet down and practically caress the pedals with his feet to produce the desired results, thesame as when playing upon the keys of the piano by hand. i

The operation is substantially the same whether I employ one or more reservoirs, or whether the arrangement be that shown in Figure 2, or that of Figure 3, or that of Figure 5. It'is to be understood that the interior construction and co-relation of parts is substantially the same in all of the different forms herein illustrated.

lVhile I have shown in the present instance the concussion bellows as connected by its restricted tube with the reservoir, this is not necessary as this restricted communication. may be between the concussion bellows and the action chest of the player or any other part thereof which has to do with the playing tension of the player, the result being the same.

Modifications in details may be resorted to without departing from the spirit oi the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What is claimed as new is 1. In an automatic music player, the combination of an air tension member, an exhauster, a concussion bellows in valved deflating communication therewith, and a restricted. inflating communication between said concussion bellows and said air tension member.

2. In an automatic music player, the combination of an air tension member, an exhauster, a concussion bellows in valved deflating communication therewith, and a restricted inflating communication between said concussion bellows and said air tension member, the passage through said restricted communication being always open.

3. The combination Off a plurality of ex hausters. a tension member with which they communicate, and a concussion bellows for each exhauster, in valved. deflating comniunication therewith and at all times in restricted communication with said tension member.

4:. The combination of a plurality of exhausters, a tension. member with which they communicate, and a concussion bellows for each exhauster, in valved deflating communication therewith and at all times in communication with said tension member, there being a restricted inlet to each concussion bellows.

5. The combination of an exhauster, and.

with, and an intermediate valved deflation port controlling such comn'iunication, and a restricted inflation port.

9. The combination oi a plurality of exliausters, a. concussion bellows for each ere liaustcr, each of said exhaustcrs being in direct communication with one of said concussion bellows and. indirectly with the other.

1.1). The combination of a cushion bellows and a concussion bellows arranged to give elastic results to the pedals and means "for causing the same to assist in the low-carrying capacity of the wind-inducing devices.

1].. The combination of a low tension reservoir, and a high tension concussion bellows, and means "for causing said corn-ussion bellows to assist the low-carrying capacity of the same.

12. The combination of a low tension reservoir, a high tension concussion bellows, and means for causing said concussion bellows to assist the low-carrying capacity of the same, and means for exhausting the air from said reservoir and bellows.

13. The combination of a reservoir, an exhauster, and a compensating resistance means acting to maintain an even tension in said. reservoir, the force exerted by said means increasing with the distension of the reservoir and decreasing as the reservoir collapses.

14:. The combination of a reservoir, an exhauster, and a compensating resistance means acting upon the movable member of said reservoir to maintain an even tension in said reservoir when the tension is being created therein by said eXhauster, the force exerted by said means increasing as the reservoir is distended and decreasing as the reservoir collapses.

1,5. The combination of a reservoir, an exhauster, a compensating resistance means acting upon the movable member of said reservoir to maintain an even tension in said reservoir while the tension is being created therein by said exhauster, the force of said means increasing as the reservoir is distended and decreasing as the reservoir collapses and means for adjusting the tension of said spring.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

GEORGE P. BRAND. 

